CARE workers are under investigation after young people with physical disabilities complained about their treatment at a residential home.

Carmarthenshire County Council has suspended three workers at the Coleshill Residential Home, Llanelli.

And the social care director Bruce McLernon said yesterday the authority acted as soon as the allegations were brought to officers' attention.

In August a project team asked people living at the home about the standards of care as part of a planned reshaping process.

Mr McLernon said it was important they were interviewed individually and asked for their opinions.

"Some complaints were made and two members of staff were immediately suspended pending a full investigation," he said. "A further member of staff was suspended days later and two others were moved to work elsewhere." The project team was set up following a report presented to the council's scrutiny committee in January, outlining the progress with the reshaping of the service at Coleshill.

When residents were inter-viewed at the home, the complaints came to light and an internal investigation was instigated. This is still ongoing.

The reshaping process is part of a five-year social services strategy to improve the service and give residents other options such as moving back into the community either on their own or with one or two others, and with the appropriate level of support.

Disability Wales undertook a full and independent consultation process with the Coleshill clients and their families which showed that most residents would prefer independent living.

Carmarthenshire's new independent living scheme has been commended by the Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (SSIW).